Approximately 3.3 million dogs enter shelters every year. Only 1.6 million of these are adopted out.

That's 1.7 million dogs looking for their forever home.

Approximately 670,000 shelter dogs are euthanized.

That's 670,000 dogs whose lives were lost due to many reasons, but mainly because there wasn't a family out there to offer them a home.

Rescuing an animal is such a beautiful thing one can do and one I've personally experienced with my dog.

My family rescued a Dalmatian exactly eight years ago and he has changed our world. We call him Charlie.

He is spunky.

He is loving.

He is protective.

He is the best cuddler.

He's the best dog our family could have asked for.

The Dalmatian we rescued previously to Charlie was Lucy. She used to breed puppies her whole life and several months after we got her we found her body to be filled with cancer. We only had just over a year with her before we had to put her down and end her suffering. But she loved us just as hard as we loved her and gave her the best months we could. She even had a special smile.

Personal Photo

Next time you find yourself looking for a new companion, I highly recommend and urge you to look into your local shelters. There are so many wonderful dogs looking for a home that would show just as much if not more love and companionship (plus it's much much less expensive than going through a breeder which has more flukes besides just the costs).